Break O'Day considers aerial spray concerns

The Break O'Day Council on Tasmania's east coast is considering opposition to aerial spraying of chemicals within its municipality.

In the past year, low levels of herbicides have been found in the area's drinking water catchments and residents have voiced concerns about the possible contamination by aerial spraying.

The Council is forming a position which it will submit to the State Government review of ground and aerial spraying. Some of the recommendations before council include a complete opposition to aerial spraying, as well as asking the Department of Health to better inform the community about water testing.

The Break O'Day Mayor, Robert Legge, says he does not want the council to be hasty in banning all aerial spraying and he will push for more time to consider the issue.

"You can't ban aerial spraying, it's an impossibility to ban it but we might be able to have tighter controls and restrictions on it and that I think is what's go to happen," he said.

"It's economically for a lot of people to stop aerial spraying of crops of cereal crops at certain times of the year it can be an economic loss."

"Look I think there's a lot of concerns about spraying and I'm not going to deny that for a minute none of us want our waterways polluted but we have to come to a compromise, a safe compromise somewhere along the line with this and this is why I say I think there's a lot more to say and more discussion's got to take place yet."